Systems and methods for mapping event changes in network navigation

ABSTRACT

In accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, systems and methods for mapping user experiences over a network include obtaining path data related to a first sequence of user navigation events, obtaining path data related to a second sequence of user navigation events that is at least different than the first sequence of user navigation events, comparing path data of the first and second sequences of user navigation events, identifying changes to the path data, and generating a map of the user navigation events based on the identified changes to the path data.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is related to Ser. No. 12/145,865, entitled “SYSTEMSAND METHODS FOR MAPPING USER EXPERIENCES IN NETWORK NAVIGATION”, filedJun. 25, 2008, which is incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present invention generally relates to mapping user experiences overa network and more particularly to mapping event changes in networknavigation.

2. Related Art

In many online environments, a user navigates through selectable pagesof service provider sites to view information resources, execute salestransactions, and/or communicate with other users. The service providerbenefits from efficiently organizing links between pages and other sitesto improve user experiences. However, the service provider may need toperiodically update the site, which may change the user's experiences.In view of these changes, analysis may indicate the need for improvednavigation.

In the past, it has been difficult to study the affect of navigationalchanges to sites in reference to some user experiences. For example,deleting and adding pages can generate large amounts of data that may bedifficult to track and analyze. Thus, there is a need for easilyvisualizing aggregated site traffic patterns after updates have beenimplemented that efficiently reflect changes in user navigationalpatterns.

SUMMARY

Systems and methods disclosed herein, in accordance with one or moreembodiments, map user experiences over a network, such as the Internet,by providing directed graphs of network diagrams that indicate networknodes and directional links between network nodes for networkoptimization analysis. In various implementations, mapping userexperiences refers to generating one or more visual representations ofnetwork traffic data relevant to tracking website usage. This enables aclear and simple analysis of website usage patterns for purposes ofstreamlining and optimizing website operation.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, a system formapping user experiences over a network includes a first componentadapted to communicate with a user via a client device over the networkand a second component adapted to track user navigation events of theuser over the network, obtain path data related to a plurality ofsequences of the user navigation events, identify changes to the pathdata, and generate a map of the user navigation events based on theidentified changes to the path data.

In various implementations, the plurality of sequences of usernavigation events includes a first sequence of user navigation eventsand a second sequence of user navigation events that is at leastdifferent than the first sequence of user navigation events. The secondcomponent is adapted to compare the path data of the first and secondsequences of user navigation events. The second component may be adaptedto identify changes to the path data based on the comparison andgenerate a map of the user navigation events based on the identifiedchanges to the compared path data. The second component may be adaptedto maintain a user sequence log that tracks the user navigation eventsover the network.

In various implementations, the system may include a storage componentadapted to store at least one of the user navigation events over thenetwork, the path data, the changes to the path data, and the map of theuser navigation events. The system may include a display componentadapted to display at least one of the user navigation events over thenetwork, the path data, the changes to the path data, and the map of theuser navigation events. In one aspect, the map includes visual path dataof the user navigation events.

In various implementations, the first component may be adapted tocommunicate with a resource provider via a resource device over thenetwork, and the second component may be adapted to track usernavigation events of the user over the network via the resourceprovider. The second component may be adapted to track the usernavigation events of the user through a network site of the resourceprovider. The resource provider may include an information resourceprovider and/or a marketplace provider. The resource device may includea resource server adapted to communicate with the client device and thesecond component via the network. The client device may include abrowser application adapted to allow the user to access the resourcedevice via the network and navigate through a plurality of resourcepages made available on a network site by the resource provider.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method formapping user experiences over a network includes obtaining path datarelated to a first sequence of user navigation events, obtaining pathdata related to a second sequence of user navigation events that is atleast different than the first sequence of user navigation events,comparing path data of the first and second sequences of user navigationevents, identifying changes to the path data, and generating a map ofthe user navigation events based on the identified changes to the pathdata.

In various implementations, the method may include tracking usernavigation events on the network by communicating with at least one of auser via a client device over the network and a resource provider via aresource device over the network. The method may include obtaining pathdata comprises communicating with at least one of a user via a clientdevice over the network and a resource provider via a resource deviceover the network.

These and other features and advantages of the present disclosure willbe more readily apparent from the detailed description of theembodiments set forth below taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a system for mapping user experiencesover a network, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of an eddy mapping process, in accordancewith an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3A shows a block diagram of an eddy mapped network, in accordancewith an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3B shows a screenshot of an eddy mapping application, in accordancewith an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of a delta mapping process, in accordancewith an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5A shows a block diagram of a delta mapped network, in accordancewith an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5B shows a screenshot of a delta mapping application, in accordancewith an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a computer system suitable for implementingembodiments of the present disclosure.

Embodiments of the present disclosure and their advantages are bestunderstood by referring to the detailed description that follows. Itshould be appreciated that like reference numerals are used to identifylike elements illustrated in one or more of the figures, whereinshowings therein are for purposes of illustrating embodiments of thepresent disclosure and not for purposes of limiting the same.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure relates to visual representation of network datarelevant to tracking website usage, which enables analysis of websiteusage patterns for purposes of streamlining and optimizing websitenetwork operation. In various embodiments, the network refers to awebsite network of pages and/or objects that a user navigates through togenerate website usage patterns. In some embodiments, Internet trafficmay be mapped.

In one implementation, repeated or recurring visits to a particularwebpage are identified to simplify network traffic visualization. Theserepeated visits are referred to, in singular, as an eddy or, in plural,as eddies. As such, eddy mapping refers to generating a network trafficvisualization in form of a graph (e.g., a directed graph) that may beeasily viewed by a user. In accordance with one or more embodiments ofthe present disclosure, eddy mapping is disclosed in greater detailherein with reference to the drawings.

In another implementation, the sequence of network traffic on aparticular website may change over time based on re-routing of networknodes and/or deleting or adding network nodes. As such, changes tonetwork traffic flow may affect a user's experience on the particularwebsite. Therefore, delta mapping refers to comparing network trafficvisualizations between separate events, such as before and after changesto the sequence of network traffic flow. In accordance with one or moreembodiments of the present disclosure, delta mapping is disclosed ingreater detail herein with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows one embodiment of a block diagram of a system 100 adaptedto facilitate mapping of user experiences over a network 160. As shownin FIG. 1, the system 100 includes at least one client device 120, oneor more resource provider servers 140, and at least one service providerserver 180 in communication over the network 160.

The network 160, in one embodiment, may be implemented as a singlenetwork or a combination of multiple networks. For example, in variousembodiments, the network 160 may include the Internet and/or one or moreintranets, landline networks, wireless networks, and/or otherappropriate types of communication networks. In another example, thenetwork may comprise a wireless telecommunications network (e.g.,cellular phone network) adapted to communicate with other communicationnetworks, such as the Internet.

The client device 120, in one embodiment, may be implemented using anyappropriate combination of hardware and/or software configured for wiredand/or wireless communication over the network 160. For example, theclient device 120 may be implemented as a personal computer of a user102 (e.g., a client or customer) in communication with the network 160,such as the Internet. In other examples, the client device 120 may beimplemented as a wireless telephone (e.g., cell phone), personal digitalassistant (PDA), notebook computer, and/or various other generally knowntypes of wired and/or wireless computing devices. It should beappreciated that, in various embodiments, the client device 120 may bereferred to as a user device or a customer device without departing fromthe scope of the present disclosure.

The client device 120, in one embodiment, may include one or morebrowser applications 122 which may be used to provide a user interfaceto permit the user 102 to browse information available over the network160. For example, the browser application 122 may be implemented as aweb browser to view information available over the network 160, such asthe Internet. In one implementation, the browser application 122comprises a software program, such as a graphical user interface (GUI),executable by a processor that is configured to interface andcommunicate with the one or more resource provider servers 140 and theservice provider server 180 via the network 160. For example, the user102 is able to access resource provider websites via resource providerservers 140 to view and select items for purchase, and the user 102 isable to purchase selected items from resource providers 140 bycommunicating with the service provider server 180. As described ingreater detail herein, when accessing a resource provider site asprovided by at least one of the resource provider servers 140, the user102 may click through a sequence of visual events that may be trackedand logged as network traffic data and stored by the service provider180 for analysis. Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a wayfor the service provider server 180 to generate a network trafficvisualization of the user's visual experience.

The client device 120, in one embodiment, may include one or moretoolbar applications 124, which may be used to provide client-sideprocessing for performing tasks in response to operations selected bythe user 102. For example, the toolbar application 124 may display a GUIin connection with the browser application 122.

The client device 120, in one embodiment, may include other applications128 as may be desired in one or more embodiments to provide additionalfeatures available to the user 102. In one example, such otherapplications 128 may include security applications for implementingclient-side security features, programmatic client applications forinterfacing with appropriate application programming interfaces (APIs)over the network 160 or various other types of generally known programsand/or applications.

The client device 120, in one embodiment, may include one or more useridentifiers 130, which may be implemented as operating system registryentries, cookies associated with the browser application 122,identifiers associated with hardware of the client device 120, and/orvarious other appropriate identifiers. The user identifier 130 mayinclude attributes related to the user 102, such as personal information(e.g., a user name, password, photograph image, biometric id, address,social security number, phone number, email address, etc.) and bankinginformation (e.g., banking institution, credit card issuer, user accountnumbers, security information, etc.). In various implementations, theuser identifier 130 may be passed with a user's network traffic data tothe service provider server 180, and the user identifier 130 may be usedby the service provider server 180 to associate the user 102 with aparticular user account maintained by the service provider server 180.

The one or more resource provider servers 140, in various embodiments,may be maintained by one or more information resource providers offeringvarious types of information for viewing and sharing over the network160. In this regard, each of the one or more resource provider servers140 may include an information database 142 for storing and archivingsearchable information, which may be made available to the client device120 for viewing and sharing by the user 102. In one implementation, eachof the resource provider servers 140 may include a resource sharingapplication 144, which may be configured to provide information to theuser 102 over the network 160. For example, the user 102 may interactwith the resource sharing application 144 through the browserapplication 122 of the client device 120 to search and view varioustypes of information made available to the user 102 from the database142 of the resource provider server 140.

In various other embodiments, the one or more resource provider servers140 may be maintained by one or more merchants offering various items,such as products and/or services, for purchase in exchange for financialpayment to be received from users, such as the user 102, over thenetwork 160. In this regard, each of the one or more resource providerservers 140 may include the database 142 for identifying availableproducts and/or services, which may be made available to the clientdevice 120 for viewing and purchase by the user 102. Accordingly, eachof the resource provider servers 140 may include a marketplaceapplication 146, which may be configured to provide information over thenetwork 160 to the browser application 122 of the client device 120. Forexample, the user 102 may interact with the marketplace application 146through the browser application 122 of the client device 120 to searchand view various items, products and/or services identified in theinformation database 142 of the server 140. The marketplace application146 may include a checkout application, which may be configured tofacilitate online purchase transactions by the user 102 of productsand/or services identified by in the database 142. In this regard, themarketplace application 146 may be configured to accept paymentinformation from the user 102 and/or from service provider server 180over the network 160.

Each of the one or more resource provider servers 140, in oneembodiment, may include one or more resource provider identifiers 148,which may be included as part of the one or more items made availablefor purchase so that particular items are associated with particularresource providers. The resource provider identifier 148 may includeattributes related to the resource provider, such as business andbanking information. In various implementations, the resource provideridentifier 148 may be passed with a user purchase request to the serviceprovider server 180 when the user 102 selects an item for purchase, andthe resource provider identifier 148 may be used by the service providerserver 180 to associate a particular item purchased with a particularresource provider account maintained by the service provider server 180.

In one embodiment, each of the one or more resource providers having arelated resource provider server 140 may need to establish a resourceprovider account with the service provider server 180 so that thepayment server provider 180 is able to process transactions having itemsoffered for purchase by the resource providers. When establishing aresource provider account, each of the one or more resource providersmay need to provide business information, such as first name, last name,address, social security number, date of birth, phone number, emailaddress, etc., and financial information, such as banking information,resource provider account information, credit card information, paymentprocessing information, etc.

In various embodiments, as discussed herein, each of resource providerservers 140 may be associated with a particular link (e.g., a link, suchas a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) to an IP (Internet Protocol)address). In this regard, the service provider server 180 may optionallyredirect the browser application 122 of the client device 120 to anappropriate webpage and/or resource provider site of the resourceprovider server 140 to facilitate information transactions andmarketplace transactions from at least one of the resource providerservers 140.

The service provider server 180, in one embodiment, may be maintained byan online service provider, which may provide payment processing foronline financial and information transactions on behalf of the user 102to an operator of the resource provider server 140. As such, the serviceprovider server 180 includes at least one processing application 182,which may be adapted to interact with the client device 120 and/or eachof the resource provider servers 140 over the network 160 to facilitateinformation sharing over the network 160, facilitate mapping userexperiences over the network 160, and/or facilitate purchases from theresource provider servers 140 over the network 160. In one example, theservice provider server 180 may be provided by PayPal, Inc. of San Jose,Calif., USA.

The service provider server 180, in one embodiment, may be configured tomaintain a plurality of user and resource provider accounts in anaccount database 184, each of which may include account information 186associated with individual users, including the user 102, and the one ormore resource providers associated with the resource provider servers140. For example, account information 186 may include private financialinformation of the user 102 and resource providers 140, such as one ormore account numbers, passwords, credit card information, bankinginformation, or other types of financial information, which may be usedto facilitate online transactions between the user 102 of the clientdevice 120 and one or more resource providers associated with theresource provider servers 140.

As such, in one implementation, the processing application 182 may beconfigured to interact with the one or more resource provider servers140 on behalf of the user 102 during a transaction with marketplaceapplication 146 without requiring the user 102 to provide accountinformation 186 directly to the resource provider server 180. In variousaspects, it should be appreciated that the methods and systems describedherein may be modified to accommodate users and/or resource providersthat may or may not be associated with at least one existing useraccount and/or resource provider account, respectively.

The service provider server 180, in one embodiment, may include acontent database 190 for storing and tracking information related totransactions between particular users, such as the user 102, and one ormore particular resource providers 140. The content database may providea historical account of user experiences of the user 102 includinghistorical accounts of information transaction and marketplacetransactions between the user 102 and each of the resource providerservers 140. Accordingly, in one implementation, the service providerserver 180 may include a content processing application 188 that may beconfigured to track, log, and store transaction information, includingmapping user experiences, and provide this information to the processingapplication 182 of the service provider 180 for analysis. As such, theservice provider 180 may search and view the mapping history of networktraffic flow of multiple users, including the user 102, in reference toparticular resource providers identified in the content database 190.

FIG. 2 shows one embodiment of a method 200 for tracking userexperiences on the network 160 with eddy mapping. In one implementation,the user 102 may run the browser application 122 on the client device120 to access at least one resource provider site via a related resourceprovider server 140 to search and view any available information. Accessto the resource provider site may be made available to the user 102 bythe service provider 180, wherein the service provider 180 uses theprocessing application 182 to track and log the user's click-eventexperiences on the resource provider site.

Referring to FIG. 2, the method 200 involves tracking user click-events(block 210) on the accessed site. This may involve accessing a pluralityof linked pages available at the resource provider site. Next, a userclick-event sequence log is maintained (block 214). This may involvedocumenting and storing the user's experience path through the site asnavigated by the user 102. Next, user experience data is defined (block218). This may involve generating data relevant to the user'sclick-event experience for use with a network traffic visualizationapplication or tool. Next, eddy data is defined (block 222). This mayinvolve identifying one or more eddies (i.e., repetitive accesses toparticular pages) in the user experience data (block 226). Next, oncethe one or more eddies are defined or at least identified, visual pathis generated (block 226). This may involve generating a visualrepresentation of the user's click-event experience of the site based onthe user experience data and eddy data. Next, the visual path data maybe stored, for example, in a memory component (block 230) and/ordisplayed, for example, as a graph on a display component, such as amonitor (block 234) for viewing and/or analysis by an operator.

FIG. 3A shows a block diagram of an eddy mapped network 300, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown inFIG. 3A, eddies 310 in the visual representation may occur when a userrepeatedly visits nodes 320 in a particular web page (e.g., a portalpage, home page, profile page, etc.). As shown in FIG. 3A, links orpaths between nodes 320 may be indicated as eddies 320 with some numberof N× access times (e.g., 2×, 3×, etc.). These eddy labels indicateclick streams with N returns to the target page or node, as shown. Insome cases, eddies 310 are expected, but in other cases eddies 310 maybe unexpected or undesirable. For example, a website provider (e.g.,resource provider 140 or service provider 180) may decrease theincidence of eddies 310 in the course of particular webpage sequences(e.g., payment flow). Some methods of visual representation of full pathdata tend to depict sequences linearly, which makes perceiving eddiesdifficult without further analysis. The method 200 provides an efficientway of visually representing eddies 310 in a visual representation, suchas a graph of the eddy mapped network 300. In various implementations,visually representing eddies 310 may be accomplished by using differentcolors, labels, graphics (e.g., dashed lines), or line thicknesses inrepresentation of the paths between nodes 320.

FIG. 3B shows a screenshot of an eddy mapping application 350, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The eddymapping application 350 includes one or more fields 352 for entry ofeddy mapping parameters.

In one implementation, the eddy mapping application 350 receives inputdata. For example, at least one input file 360 includes data for atleast one website user experience (e.g., sequence of events) and a countof site visitors with similar user experiences. In one implementation,the input file comprises a text file (e.g., a Comma Separated Values(CSV) file) for keeping tabular data (e.g., tabular data withlines=rows=records) and columnar data in a given row delimited withcommas. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art thatvarious other types of text files and/or data files may be used andother types of text or punctuation may be used for delimiting, such ascolons, semi-colons, dashes, etc., without departing from the scope ofthe present disclosure.

Next, the eddy mapping application 350 processes the input data. Forexample, input data from the at least one input file 360 is processed toproduce at least one data file 364, which may include a DOT file, atemporary DOT file, etc., for storage in a file system for later use toproduce a visual depiction, such as an output image file 366 of adirected graph. In various implementations, the at least one data file364 comprises an object relation mapping file to hold directed graphs,which may be referred to as a publicly described text file fordescribing network flow data as directed or undirected graphs that maybe used as an input by graph (e.g., math definition of graph)visualization software. In one embodiment, the eddy mapping application350 includes a module to identify and capture one or more eddies (i.e.,multiple visits to the same page within a single session, such as asingle instance of a given experience) with the last return visit tothat page in that experience coming from the same source page. It shouldbe appreciated by those skilled in the art that various other types ofdata files may be used, without departing from the scope of the presentdisclosure.

Next, the eddy mapping application 350 generates a visualrepresentation, such as the output image file 366 for the directedgraph, to visually depict the user's experience. For example, the datafile 364 is read from memory storage by the eddy mapping application 350to visually depict the user's experience for analysis by an operator. Invarious implementations, various image format and layout parameters 368may be selected and configured for the output image file 366.

In various implementations, the method 200 involves tracking websiteusage by tracking the sequence of web pages in the website that eachvisitor to the website click-events on a particular visit andmaintaining a log of every such discrete visitor click-event sequence.Each particular sequence of click-events by the user 102 may be denotedas a full path sequence. Tracking website usage on a full path basisassists a website owner, such as resource provider 140 or serviceprovider 180, to understand a user's experience on each visit to thewebsite. Because an enormous amount of full path data may be generatedand collected, it may be difficult to analyze. Accordingly, compilingthis raw data in visual form for purposes of analysis is helpful whenusing a visualization application or tool.

In one embodiment, the method 200 of FIG. 2 provides a way to representaggregate network traffic in a graph or map of the network 160. Themethod 200 may be adapted to represent a plurality of webpages of awebsite as labeled nodes, represent a navigation path between webpagesby a labeled indicator (e.g., directed arrow or line), associate witheach webpage a count of visits by users (e.g., the user 102) in selectedintervals, and associate with the navigation path, a count of usernavigation click-events between webpages by users in the selectedintervals. The method 200 may be adapted to represent the webpage visitcount as a number presented in association with the webpage, and/orrepresent the navigation path count as a number presented in associationwith the labeled directed arrow or line. In various implementations, asshown in FIG. 3A, recurring webpage accesses (e.g., eddies) by users maybe represented by different visual appearances, such as color, linethickness, line pattern, directed lines, and/or directed arrows.

FIG. 4 shows one embodiment of a method 400 for tracking userexperiences on the network 160 with delta mapping. In oneimplementation, the sequence of network traffic between nodes on aparticular site may be re-routed, deleted or added. As such, sincechanges to network traffic flow may affect the user's experience on thesite, delta mapping compares network traffic visualizations betweenseparate events, such as before and after changes to the sequence ofnetwork traffic flow.

The method 400 involves obtaining previous visual path data of a user'sprevious click-event experiences (block 410) on the accessed site. Thismay involve accessing previously generated visual path data. Next, oncethe site links of the particular site have been altered, revised visualpath data is obtained (block 414). This may involve accessing generatedvisual path data of the altered site. Next, the previous visual pathdata and the revised path data are compared (block 418), and changes tothe path data are defined (block 422). This may involve subtracting theprevious visual path data from the revised path data to identify changesto the path data as experienced by the user 102. Next, once the changesare defined or at least identified, updated visual path is generated(block 426). This may involve generating an updated visualrepresentation of the user's click-event experience of the site based onchanges to the user experience data. Next, the updated visual path datamay be stored, for example, in a memory component (block 430) and/ordisplayed, for example, as a graph on a display component, such as amonitor (block 434) for viewing and/or analysis by an operator.

In reference to tracking website usage pattern changes after a revision,problem may occur when trying to visually represent visual path datathat has been collected before and after a tracked website undergoes asignificant revision or redesign. Because webpages may be added ordeleted from a website as a result of a revision, visual path dataspanning a website revision may include many webpage sequences thatinvolve webpages that are no longer accessible or involve webpages addedafter a revision. A simple visual representation of visual path datathat depicts all sequences of webpage click-events may confuse the user102 and be less useful because it may not be apparent in the visualrepresentation which webpages have been deleted or newly added, andtherefore it may not accurately depict website usage patterns. Toovercome these problems, delta mapping provides a way to update visualpath data before a website revision so that the visual representation ofthis data readily indicates what webpage changes have been made. Deltamapping allows the viewer of the visual representation of delta-mappedvisual path data to quickly view large scale changes in website usagepatterns to facilitate the optimization of the website. In oneimplementation, delta mapping may include a “normalization” ofdelta-mapped data, or factoring out overall increases in website trafficfrom visual path data collected at more than one different points intime, so that actual changes in website usage patterns of specificwebpages may be viewed without distortion by increases in traffic on thewebsite.

In various implementations, in addition to depicting changes over time,delta mapping may be used to show differences in traffic patternsbetween different classes and/or segments of users during the same timeperiod. As such, “normalization” may refer to the sizes of the twogroups being compared, which may be different.

FIG. 5A shows a block diagram of a delta mapped network 500, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The deltamapped network 500 shows changes in network traffic between one periodand another period. Due to network path changes, some traffic mayincrease, some traffic may decrease, and some paths between nodes 520may be newly generated. In one example, as shown in FIG. 5A, a node 520(e.g., node 4) may be deleted in a revised visual representation.Accordingly, links or paths that no longer exist to and from a deletednode (e.g., node 4) may be visually represented differently, such as askinny dashed line, and a new path or link 530 between nodes 1 and 5 maybe shown in a thick dashed line. As such, these delta labels indicatenew click streams between target pages or nodes. In one aspect, eddies510 between links or nodes may be shown, and these eddies 510 may occurat the new links or paths between nodes 520. The method 400 provides anefficient way of visually representing delta changes in a visualrepresentation, such as a graph of the delta mapped network 500. Invarious implementations, visually representing delta changes may beaccomplished by using different colors, labels, graphics (e.g., dashedlines), or line thicknesses in representation of the paths between nodes520.

FIG. 5B shows a screenshot of a delta mapping application 550, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The deltamapping application 550 includes one or more fields 552 for entry ofdelta mapping parameters.

In one implementation, the delta mapping application 550 receives inputdata. For example, at least two input files 560, 562 may be named andinclude data for each website user experience (e.g., sequence of events)and a count of site visitors with similar user experiences. Aspreviously described in reference to FIG. 3B, the input files 560, 562may comprise text files (e.g., CSV files) for keeping tabular data andcolumnar data. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art thatvarious other types of text files and/or data files may be used, withoutdeparting from the scope of the present disclosure.

Next, the delta mapping application 550 processes the input data. Forexample, input data from the at least two input files 560, 562 isprocessed to produce a single data file 564, which may include a singleDOT file, a single temporary DOT file, etc., for storage in a filesystem for later use to produce a visual depiction, such as delta outputimage file 566 of a directed graph, showing differences in site trafficpatterns from one period or group of visitors to the another period orgroup of visitors.

In one implementation, one input file 560 is subtracted from the otherinput file 562, in the sense that changes in quantity of traffic betweentwo events is compared and captured in a single visual representation564. In a delta calculation 570, changes in quantity may be captured asabsolute changes 572, normalized changes to a particular selection 574,or normalized changes relative to overall traffic 576.

Next, the delta mapping application 550 generates the delta output imagefile 566 of the visual representation, such as the directed graph, tovisually depict the user's experience, as revised during processing. Forexample, the single data file 564 is read from memory storage by thedelta mapping application 550 to visually depict the user's experiencefor analysis by an operator. In various implementations, various imageformat and layout parameters 568 may be selected and configured for thedelta output image file 566.

In one embodiment, the method 400 of FIG. 4 provides a way to representaggregate changes in network traffic in the form of a graph or map ofthe network 160. The method 400 may be adapted to indicate changes innavigation of a website, represent the changes by different visualappearances, represent changed navigation paths between webpages withvarious types of indicators (e.g., a labeled directed arrow or line of adifferent appearance than the navigation path representation before thechanging), The method 400 may be adapted to associate a count of visitsby users in selected intervals and associate with the navigation pathbetween webpages after the changes are made. In one aspect, changes mayinclude deleting and/or adding network nodes or webpages within thewebsite and/or altering hyperlink options between network nodes orwebpages within the website.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a computer system 600 suitable forimplementing embodiments of the present disclosure, including the clientdevice 120, the one or more resource provider devices 140, and theservice processing device 180. In various implementations, the clientdevice 140 may comprise a personal computing device, such as a personalcomputer, laptop, PDA, etc., the one or more resource provider devices140 may comprise a network computing device, such as a server, and theservice processing device 180 may comprise a network computing device,such as a server. Thus, it should be appreciated that the devices 120,140, 180 may be implemented as computer system 600 in a manner asfollows.

In accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure,computer system 600, such as a personal computer and/or a networkserver, includes a bus 602 or other communication mechanism forcommunicating information, which interconnects subsystems andcomponents, such as processing component 604 (e.g., processor,micro-controller, digital signal processor (DSP), etc.), system memorycomponent 606 (e.g., RAM), static storage component 608 (e.g., ROM),disk drive component 610 (e.g., magnetic or optical), network interfacecomponent 612 (e.g., modem or Ethernet card), display component 614(e.g., CRT or LCD), input component 616 (e.g., keyboard), and cursorcontrol component 618 (e.g., mouse or trackball). In one implementation,disk drive component 610 may comprise a database having one or more diskdrive components.

In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, computersystem 600 performs specific operations by processor 604 executing oneor more sequences of one or more instructions contained in system memorycomponent 606. Such instructions may be read into system memorycomponent 606 from another computer readable medium, such as staticstorage component 608 or disk drive component 610. In other embodiments,hard-wired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination withsoftware instructions to implement the present disclosure.

Logic may be encoded in a computer readable medium, which may refer toany medium that participates in providing instructions to processor 604for execution. Such a medium may take many forms, including but notlimited to, non-volatile media and/or volatile media. In variousimplementations, non-volatile media may include optical or magneticdisks, such as disk drive component 610, and volatile media may includedynamic memory, such as system memory component 606. In one aspect, dataand information related to execution instructions may be transmitted tocomputer system 600 via transmission media, such as coaxial cables,copper wire, and fiber optics, including wires that comprise bus 602. Invarious examples, transmission media may take the form of acoustic orlight waves, such as those generated during radio wave and infrared datacommunications.

Some common forms of computer readable media includes, for example,floppy disk, flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, any other magneticmedium, CD-ROM, any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, anyother physical medium with patterns of holes, RAM, PROM, EPROM,FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, carrier wave, or anyother medium from which a computer is adapted to read.

In various embodiments of the present disclosure, execution ofinstruction sequences to practice the present disclosure may beperformed by computer system 600. In various other embodiments of thepresent disclosure, a plurality of computer systems 600 coupled bycommunication link 620 (e.g., network 160 of FIG. 1, LAN, WLAN, PTSN, orvarious other wired or wireless networks) may perform instructionsequences to practice the present disclosure in coordination with oneanother.

Computer system 600 may transmit and receive messages, data, informationand instructions, including one or more programs (i.e., applicationcode) through communication link 620 and communication interface 612.Received program code may be executed by processor 604 as receivedand/or stored in disk drive component 610 or some other non-volatilestorage component for execution.

Where applicable, various embodiments provided by the present disclosuremay be implemented using hardware, software, or combinations of hardwareand software. Also, where applicable, the various hardware componentsand/or software components set forth herein may be combined intocomposite components comprising software, hardware, and/or both withoutdeparting from the spirit of the present disclosure. Where applicable,the various hardware components and/or software components set forthherein may be separated into sub-components comprising software,hardware, or both without departing from the scope of the presentdisclosure. In addition, where applicable, it is contemplated thatsoftware components may be implemented as hardware components andvice-versa.

Software, in accordance with the present disclosure, such as programcode and/or data, may be stored on one or more computer readablemediums. It is also contemplated that software identified herein may beimplemented using one or more general purpose or specific purposecomputers and/or computer systems, networked and/or otherwise. Whereapplicable, the ordering of various steps described herein may bechanged, combined into composite steps, and/or separated into sub-stepsto provide features described herein.

The foregoing disclosure is not intended to limit the present disclosureto the precise forms or particular fields of use disclosed. As such, itis contemplated that various alternate embodiments and/or modificationsto the present disclosure, whether explicitly described or impliedherein, are possible in light of the disclosure.

Having thus described embodiments of the present disclosure, persons ofordinary skill in the art will recognize that changes may be made inform and detail without departing from the scope of the presentdisclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is limited only by the claims.

1. A system for mapping user experiences over a network, the systemcomprising: a server having a communication component for: communicatingwith a user via a client device over the network; and the server havinga processing component for: tracking user navigation events of the userover the network, obtaining previous path data related to a plurality ofprevious sequences of user navigation events, obtaining revised pathdata related to a plurality of revised sequences of user navigationevents, comparing the previous path data to the revised path data,identifying changes to the previous path data based on the comparison ofthe previous path data to the revised path data, and generating a map ofthe user navigation events based on the identified changes to theprevious path data, wherein the map comprises a first path taken by theuser before a node has been deleted and a second path taken by the userafter the node has been deleted, wherein the first and second paths arevisually distinct, wherein the deleted node is visually distinct fromnodes in the revised data path, wherein changes to path data include atleast one of re-routed sequences of user navigation events, deletedsequences of user navigation events, and added sequences of usernavigation events, and wherein sequences of user navigation eventscomprises sequences of network traffic between webpages, and whereinre-routed sequences includes re-routed network traffic between webpages,deleted sequences includes re-routed sequences around deleted webpages,and added sequences includes re-routed sequences through added webpages.2. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sequences of usernavigation events includes a first sequence of user navigation eventsand a second sequence of user navigation events that is at leastdifferent than the first sequence of user navigation events.
 3. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the map comprises visual path data of theuser navigation events.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processingcomponent maintains a user sequence log that tracks the user navigationevents over the network.
 5. The system of claim 1, further comprising astorage component adapted to store at least one of the user navigationevents over the network, the path data, the changes to the path data,and the map of the user navigation events.
 6. The system of claim 1,further comprising a display component adapted to display at least oneof the user navigation events over the network, the path data, thechanges to the path data, and the map of the user navigation events. 7.The system of claim 1, wherein the communication component is adapted tocommunicate with a resource provider via a resource device over thenetwork, and wherein the processing component is adapted to track usernavigation events of the user over the network via the resourceprovider.
 8. The system of claim 7, wherein the processing componenttracks the user navigation events of the user through a network site ofthe resource provider.
 9. The system of claim 7, wherein the resourceprovider comprises at least one of an information resource provider anda marketplace provider, and wherein the resource device comprises aresource server adapted to communicate with the client device and theprocessing component via the network.
 10. The system of claim 7, whereinthe client device comprises a computer adapted to communicate with theprocessing component and the resource device via the network.
 11. Thesystem of claim 7, wherein the client device includes a browserapplication adapted to allow the user to access the resource device viathe network and navigate through a plurality of resource pages madeavailable on a network site by the resource provider.
 12. A method formapping user experiences over a network, the method comprising: at aserver, obtaining previous path data related to a first sequence of usernavigation events; at the server, obtaining revised path data related toa second sequence of user navigation events that is at least differentthan the first sequence of user navigation events; at the server,comparing the previous path data of the first sequence of usernavigation events to the revised path data of the second sequence ofuser navigation events; at the server, identifying changes to theprevious path data based on the comparison of the previous path data andthe revise path data; and at the server, generating a map of the usernavigation events based on the identified changes to the previous pathdata, wherein the map comprises a first path taken by the user before anode has been deleted and a second path taken by the user after the nodehas been deleted, wherein the first and second paths are visuallydistinct, wherein the deleted node is visually distinct from nodes inthe revised data path, wherein changes to path data include at least oneof re-routed sequences of user navigation events, deleted sequences ofuser navigation events, and added sequences of user navigation events,and wherein sequences of user navigation events comprises sequences ofnetwork traffic between webpages, and wherein re-routed sequencesincludes re-routed network traffic between webpages, deleted sequencesincludes re-routed sequences around deleted webpages, and addedsequences includes re-routed sequences through added webpages.
 13. Themethod of claim 12, further comprising: at the server, tracking usernavigation events on the network by communicating with at least one of auser via a client device over the network and a resource provider via aresource device over the network.
 14. The method of claim 12, whereinobtaining path data comprises: at the server, communicating with atleast one of a user via a client device over the network and a resourceprovider via a resource device over the network.
 15. The method of claim12, further comprising: at the server, maintaining a user sequence logthat tracks the user navigation events including the first and secondsequences of user navigation events.
 16. The method of claim 12, furthercomprising: at the server, storing at least one of the user navigationevents over the network, the path data, the changes to the path data,and the map of the user navigation events.
 17. The method of claim 12,further comprising: at the server, displaying at least one of the usernavigation events over the network, the path data, the changes to thepath data, and the map of the user navigation events.
 18. The method ofclaim 12, wherein generating the map comprises: at the server,generating visual path data of at least one of the user navigationevents over the network, the path data, the changes to the path data,and the map of the user navigation events.
 19. The method of claim 12,further comprising: at the server, communicating with a resourceprovider via a resource device over the network to obtain path data,wherein the resource provider comprises at least one of an informationresource provider and a marketplace provider, and wherein the resourcedevice comprises a resource server adapted to communicate with theclient device and the second component via the network.
 20. The methodof claim 12, further comprising: at the server, communicating with auser via a client device over the network, wherein the client devicecomprises a computer adapted to communicate with the second componentvia the network.
 21. The method of claim 20, wherein the client deviceincludes a browser application adapted to allow the user to access aresource device of a resource provider via the network and navigatethrough a plurality of resource pages made available on a network siteby the resource provider.
 22. The method of claim 12, wherein the methodis performed by a server adapted to map user experiences over thenetwork.
 23. A non-transitory computer readable medium on which arestored computer readable instructions and, when executed by a processor,the processor is operable to: obtain previous path data related to afirst sequence of user navigation events; obtain revised path datarelated to a second sequence of user navigation events that is at leastdifferent than the first sequence of user navigation events; compare thepresent path data of the first sequence of user navigation events to therevised path data of the second sequences of user navigation events;identify changes to the previous path data based on the comparison ofthe previous path data and the revise path data; and generate a map ofthe user navigation events based on the identified changes to theprevious path data, wherein the map comprises a first path taken by theuser before a node has been deleted and a second path taken by the userafter the node has been deleted, wherein the first and second paths arevisually distinct, wherein the deleted node is visually distinct fromnodes in the revised data path, wherein changes to path data include atleast one of re-routed sequences of user navigation events, deletedsequences of user navigation events, and added sequences of usernavigation events, and wherein sequences of user navigation eventscomprises sequences of network traffic between webpages, and whereinre-routed sequences includes re-routed network traffic between webpages,deleted sequences includes re-routed sequences around deleted webpages,and added sequences includes re-routed sequences through added webpages.24. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 23, furtheroperable to track user navigation events on the network by communicatingwith at least one of a user via a client device over the network and aresource provider via a resource device over the network.
 25. Thenon-transitory computer readable medium of claim 23, further operable tocommunicate with at least one of a user via a client device over thenetwork and a resource provider via a resource device over the networkto obtain the present and revised path data related to the first andsecond sequences of user navigation events, respectively.